Metal box



Swat 14 194390 E. e. JOHANSSON 2,329,349

METAL BOX Filed Jan. 6, 1942 villi ii/dual!!! Patented Sept. 14, 1943 METAL BOX LEIBQS? ohansson,:;Belmont, Mass, ussignor to *Manufacturing company, Boston,

"Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 6, 1942,*Serial'No. 425;771

16 Claims.

' Inmeter .boxesxandthe like :itis necessary to seal'the'enclosure to prevent tampering-with the contents andlwhen" the boxesare' located outdoors .ordnfexpose'd positions, it is also: necessary 'to make iithem weather-proof. JIIn order to "afford free access to the interior while the box is mounted on '.the wall "it is desirable to. make the front ofthe box removable. Inasmuch as mostymeter 'boxeshave cylindrical 'glasscovers projecting forwardly'beyond the front ofthe box, it is necessary to. provide an opening in the front to accommodate'fthe; projecting .cover glass and .also to remove 'the'coveriby sli'dingr'itlforwardoif the cover'glass instead of swinging it. to one side. Heretofore it has been customary toprovide separateilocks for. the cover at the" top and bottom of the" box, these locks usually including lugs on the box which project forwardly afterthe'front of the .box has been removed. .This arrangement has" not'been: satisfactory "because of the duplicate locks and also'ifor 'the'reason' that the projectinglugs onthe'box'interfered with free access to the interior of the box after the front had been removed.

f The objects of the present invention are; to providean'arran'gement'whereby the front ofa meter'box" oii'the like may be "locked in. position with'a single lock and yet be" removed by sliding it forwardly oif'fthej'projectingportion of the meter or other part projecting from the box. Another; object'is'to provide a box which is simple in construction and'yet weather-proof and proof against tampering. Still another object is to provide aiock'which leaves no part projecting from the box after the'cover has been removed.

*According'to this invention the improvedzbox comprlsesi'a removablefront closure having an opening toxacc'ommod'ate a forwardly projecting portion of: ameter.'or" the like, the box having an inwardly facing 'surfacelat the upper vend of the closure .and the closure havinga slide movable'upbehind said surface, together'with a, de-

tent connectedflwith the slide and extending downwardly into juxtaposition" with an. obstruc- "tion insidethe box to'fpreventthe slide moving 'downwaidiyiuntfl the lower end of 'the closure has swung forwardly enough to permitthe' detent toclear the obstruction, and" means for locking tl'1e'iowe1"end'of the closure in closed position, wherebythe closure can be removedonly by'first unlocking it; then swinging its lower endjforwardly'un'tii "the aforesaid detent' clears. the obstructlon, then moving the 'slidedownwardlyand finallymoving. the closure forwardly of! themejecting portionof themeter. While the inwardly facing surface at the upperend of the closure mayfibe'onany part of the top ofthebox, it preferably comprisesxa front walldepending-a short distance from the top of the box. In a-more specific; aspect: the invention comprises means'for lockingthe closure in closed position, including a screw orother fastener extending through-the closure -into interlocking engagementwith the box, a-retainer movablymounted onthe cover to prevent the' fastenerfrom' being unfastened, andmeansfor locking the retainer in operative position. The retainer'ispreferably in the form of-a' ooverforcovering the'outerendof the fastoner" when" the. fastener is in locked position.

1 For thepurpose of illustration a typical embodiment of theinventionis-shown in the accompanying drawing inwhich:

,Fig. l is aview infront-"elevation ofabox embodyingthis invention;

' Fig-2 1s alongitudinalsection taken along the line 2--2fin F-ig. 1,---with parts broken away;

-Figg3 isaview withparts brokenaway-of the innerface of the separable front wall of the box;

and

' Fig. isan enlargedsectional view illustrating a'detailof the box.

'The meter boxlfl illustrated in the drawing comprises a -body-and=-a separable front closure 25. "The provision of the-separable front wall of the body permits easywmounting and removal of the electric 'meter and such wall has an-opening through which extends the forwardly projecting cylindrical cover ll of glass or other transparent material whereby the register and" rotatable disk of the meter'canbe inspected without disturbing the box.

The -body,'in which the base and connections of the meter are mounted, comprises a back wall IE to which such base and connections are'secured inany suitable manner (not shown), forwardly projecting side walls l'l--which may be integral with the back wall I 6,-a topwall i8- and a bottom wall IS. The edges of the top andbottom walls are flanged, the flanges -20 of the top wall surrounding and the'flanges '2l of the-bottom-wall being surrounded by the adjacenttop and bottom edgesof the back and-side walls'and permanently secured thereto by-soldcring,-welding or the like. The planeof the front flange-lfl-of the -topwall l8 is-in advance of-the' plane of -the fiange-2l of the bottom-wall (see Fig.'-2) In the front flange 2| of the'bottomwall is formed a threaded aperture' "22.

The front closure'25isprovidedat-its side and bottom" edges with "rearwardly extendin "flanges 26 and the edges of the side walls H are offset inwardly and enclosed by the side flanges of the plate 25. Upon the outer surface of the front closure at the upper end thereof is mounted a slidable plate 2'! and on its inner surface are mounted straps 28 which are parallel to and adjacent the side flanges 26. The plate 21 is attached to the upper ends of the straps 28 by studs or rivets 29 which pass through vertical slots 39 in the front wall 25. The lower ends of the straps are attached to the front wall by studs or rivets 3| which pass through vertical slots 32 in the straps. The straps terminate in inwardly extending flanges 33. The slots 30 and 32 are so positioned relative to each other that the plate 2? and straps 28 are free to reciprocate vertically, whereby the plate 27 is movable from the upper position shown in full lines in the drawing to that shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, as will be described hereinbelow.

In the front closure 25 is formed an aperture 34 which is normally covered by a tongue 35 pivoted at its upper end to the front wall 25. The tongue terminates at its lower end in an outwardly extending flange 36 having a hole 31 therein. Mounted on the bottom flange 26 of the wall 25 a strip or bracket 38 which extends outwardly from the wall and is bent back on itself to form a pocket 39. The pocket 39 is adapted to receive the flange 36 of the tongue 35, and through its walls are holes 40 which register with the hole 37 in the flange 35, when the latter is in the pocket as shown in Fig. 3. At the center of the front wall is a circular opening 4| bounded by an inwardly extending flange 42 through which the cylindrical meter cover projects.

After the meter base and connections have been mounted in the body l5, the front closure 25 is assembled with the body to complete the box. The front closure 25 with theplate 21 in the retracted lower position shown in dotted line in l is slipped over the cover When the plate 21 is retracted, the flange 2| of the body will be in the path of the flanges 33 of the strap 28 so that the upper end of the wall must be tilted inwardly a trifle. The plate 21 is then moved into the advanced position behind the flange 20 of the top wall It! by applying pressure to the plate either directly or through the straps 28. The flange 33 of the straps 2B are so located that when the plate 21 is fully advanced, they will slide over the upper edges of the flange 2| and thus permit the front closure to be brought into contact with that flange (see Fig. 2). When this takes place the plate 21 will be positively held in the advanced position by the coaction of flange 2| with the flanges 33.

A gasket ring 43 of rubber or similar material at the base of the cover II is engaged by the flange 42 to seal the opening 4| against the entry of water. The flange 26 of the front closure overlie the side and bottom walls of the body, and the flange 20 of the top Wall overlies the upper edge of the front closure so that the meter is fully protected.

The front closure 25 is secured to the body I5 by a set screw 45 or similar means passed through the aperture 34 in the wall 25 and threaded into the aperture 22, those apertures being so located that they are in register when the closure 25 is in closed position. The tongue 35 which was swung out of the way while the screw 45 was set is now returned to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with its flange 36 in the pocket 39 of the strip 38. A padlock 46 or other sealing means is passed through the holes 31 and 40 so that the screw 45 is only accessible after the sealing means has been removed.

When the meter box is to be opened, the padlock 45 is removed and the tongue 35 swung out of the way to allow removal of the screw 45. The lower edge of the front wall 25 is then raised enough to disengage the flanges 33 from the flange 2| whereupon the plate 21 will b withdrawn to the retracted position below the flange 20 so that the front wall is now completely disengaged from the body l5 and can be removed without difllculty, thus affording access to the meter and connections.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the parts 2833 constitute detent means cooperating with the obstruction 2| inside the box to prevent the slide 21 from moving downwardly from behind the surface 20 until the lower end of the closure 25 has been swung forwardly far enough to permit the inturned ends 33 of the detent to clear the obstruction 2|, whereupon the slide may be moved downwardly from behind the surface 20 and the entire closure then slips forwardly oil the projection portion ll of the meter. The inwardly facing surface of the flange 20 may if desired be inclined outwardly from top to bottom to facilitate the entry of the slide 21 and to produce a slight wedging action as the slide reaches its uppermost position.

While one embodiment of this invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and that other embodiments thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A box comprising a body having back, side, top and bottom walls and a separable front wall, means for removably securing said front wall to the body of the box, a tongue pivotally mounted at one end on said front wall and movable over said securing means, a strip fixed to said front wall, and means for connecting said strip to said tongue when the latter covers said securing means whereby said securing means are inaccessible and the box is sealed.

2. A box comprising a body having back, side, top and bottom walls and a separable front closure, said front closure including a plate slidable relative to one edge of the front closure. which plate in one position permits assembly of the front closure with the body and in another position engages a wall of the body and completes the closure of the box, and means movable relative to the front closure which means engage the wall of the body opposite the wall engaged by the plate to hold the plate in the second-named position.

3. A meter box comprising a body having back, side, top and bottom walls and a separable front closure, said body being adapted to contain a. meter fixed therein and having a portion which projects from the front of the box and said front closure having a suitably formed opening which surrounds the projecting portion of the meter, and a slidable plate which in one position permits assembly of the front closure with the meter and body and in another position completes the closure of the box, said slidable plate being offset relatively to said opening so that it may be moved back and forth between said two positions while the meter projects through the opening.

4. A meter box comprising a body having back,

side top and bottom walls and jajseparable 'fr'ont closurepsaidbody being adapted to co'n'tainfa meter fixed thereinand havingaportionwhich projects from the front of the 'b'oxjand'said front c'lo'sure hav'in'g a suitably formed "opening which surrounds the projecting portion'ggof the meter, the top 'Wall terminating at'the'front of the box in a "downwardly projecting flangezand thefront closure including a slidable platewhichin one '10 closure, said body being adapted to contain a' meter fixed therein andhaving a portion which projects from the front of the box'and said front closure having a suitably formed opening which surrounds the projecting portion of the meter,

the top wall terminating at the front of the box in a downwardly projectingflange and the front closure including a slidable plate which in one position extends behind such flange to complete the closure of the box, and means for holding the plate in such position.

6. A meter box comprising a body having back, side, top and bottom walls and a separable front closure, said body being adaptedto contain a meter fixed therein and having a portion which projects from the frontof the box and said front closure having a suitably formed openingwhich surrounds the projecting portion of the meter, the top and bottom walls terminating at the front of the box in flanges, the flange of the top wall projecting downwardly and the flange of the bottom wall projecting upwardly and the front closure including a slidable plate which in one position extends behind the flange of the top wall to complete the closure of the box, and means carried by said plate which engage the flange of the bottom wall to hold the plate in such position.

7. A meter box comprising a body having back, side, top and bottom walls and a separable front wall, said body being adapted to contain a meter fixed therein and having a portion which projects from the front of the box and said front wall having a suitably formed opening which surrounds the projecting portion of the meter, the top and bottom walls terminating at the front of the box in flanges, the flange of the top wall projecting downwardly and the flange of the bottom wall projecting upwardly and the front wall including a plate slidable over its outer surface at the top thereof, which plate in one position extends behind the flange of the top Wall to complete the closure of the box, and a pair of straps on the inner surface of the front wall and connected at one end to the plate through vertical slots in the front wall which straps engage the flange of the bottom wall to hold the plate in such position.

8. A meter box comprising a body having back, side, top and bottom walls and a separable front wall, said body being adapted to contain a meter fixed therein and having a portion which projects from the front of the box and said front wall having a suitably formed opening which surrounds the projecting portion of the meter, the top and bottom walls terminating at the front of the box in flanges, the flange of the top wall projecting downwardly and the flange of the bottom i'wall "'projecting upwardl'y"and the fir-grit wall including a; plate, slidable' over "its outer surfa'e'a thetop thereof,'fwhi ch plate in'onefpo'sin xtends'behind the'flange or the top'wallfto ple'te hecl urefoff'the ox and 'a' palm: ffo'n' thefi'nner surface of the front'wall and connected atte ts-(1f the"'pla't'ethrough vertie neat-Ewan which straps terminate N g riddnjinwardjlyfextendingfianges that rest agam'st'theffiange ofthebottom"wall"to "holdt'he platein'sujch position.

I 9. 4 meter box comprisin'ga body having "back, side; topand "bottornwallsf and separable front wall saidfbody being "adapted to contain a "meter jfix'ed therein fand having a portion "which profjec'ts, min the front of the "box' and said front wan "having a suitably formed opening "which suiroiir'idsfthe projecting portion of the meter; a slidablej plate onjtheouter surface" of the'front wall and straps on the inner surfacefthereof connectedto the plate through verticalslots in saidwall, which plate in one position permits assembly of the 'front'wa'll'w'ith the "meter; and

body and inan'ojth'erp osition engagesa wall of thebody' to complete thefclo'sure'of the b'ox,"and

which straps engage anotherwall of the body to hold said platein the last mentioned position.

10. A meter box comprising a body having backfside, top and bottom'walls and a separable front'wall, said b'ody b eing adapted to contain'a meter fixed therein and having a portion which projects from the f'ro'ntofthe box and saidfr'ont "wall having a suitably "formed opening which surrounds "the projecting "portion" of the meter, a

slidable sateen theo'uter surface of the ront wall, "and "straps 'on the inner surface thereof connected to the plate through vertical slots in said wall, which plate in one position permits assembly of the front wall with the meter and body and in another position engages a wall of the body to complete the closure of the box and which straps terminate in flanges which engage the wall of the body opposite that engaged by the plate to hold said plate in the last mentioned position.

11. A meter box comprising a body having back, side, top and bottom walls and a separable front wall, said body being adapted to contain a meter fixed therein and having a portion which projects from the front of the box and said front wall having a suitable formed opening which surrounds the projecting portion of the meter, the lower wall of the body terminating at the front of the box in an upwardly projecting flange having a threaded aperture therein against which flange the separable front Wall of the box rests, said wall having an aperture which registers with the aperture in the flange, said apertures being adapted to receive a screw by which the front walland box are connected, a tongue pivotally mounted near one end on said front wall and movable over the head of the screw, a strip fixed to said front wall and having a pocket therein which receives the other end of the tongue when the latter is over the head of the screw, and means for removably connecting said tongue and strip thereby sealing the meter box.

12. A meter box comprising a removable front closure having an opening to accommodate a forwardly projecting portion of a meter, the box having an inwardly facing surface at the upper end of said closure, a slide on the closure slidable relatively to the closure upwardly behind said surface, a detent connected with the slide and extending downwardly into juxtaposition with an obstruction inside the box to prevent the slide from moving downwardly until the lower end of the closure has swung forwardly enough to permit the detent to clear the obstruction, and means for locking said lower end of the closure in closed position, whereby the closure can be removed only by unlocking the closure, swinging its lower end forwardly until said detent clears said obstruction, moving said slide downwardly and then moving the closure forwardly of! said projecting portion of the meter.

13. A meter box comprising a removable front closure having an opening to accommodate a forwardly projecting portion of a meter, the box having an inwardly facing surface at the upper end of said closure, a slide on the closure slidable relatively to the closure upwardly behind said surface, a detent connected with the slide and extending downwardly into juxtaposition with an obstruction inside the box to prevent the slide from moving downwardly until the lower end of the closure has swung forwardly enough to permit the detent to clear the obstruction, and means carried by the closure for locking said lower end in closed position, said means including a fastener extending through the closure into interlocking engagement with the box, a retainer movably mounted on the cover to prevent the fastener from being unfastened, and means for locking the retainer in operative position.

14. A meter box comprising a, removable front closure having an opening to accommodate a forwardly projecting portion of a meter, the box having an inwardly facing surface at the upper end of said closure, a slide on the closure slidable relatively to the closure upwardly behind said surface, a detent connected with the slide and extending downwardly into juxtaposition with an obstruction inside the box to prevent the slide from moving downwardly until the lower end of the closure has swung forwardly enough to permit the detent to clear the obstruction, and means carried by the closure for locking said lower end in closed position, said means including a fastener extending through the closure into interlocking engagement with the box, a cover for the outer end of said fastener movably mounted on the closure, and means for locking the cover in position to cover the outer end of the fastener.

15. A meter box comprising a removable front closure having an opening to accommodate a forwardly projecting portion of a meter, means for locking the closure in closed position, said means including a fastener extending through the closure from the outside into detachable interlocking engagement with the box, a retainer movably mounted on the cover to prevent the fastener from being unfastened, and means for looking the retainer in operative position.

16. A meter box comprising a removable front closure having an opening to accommodate a forwardly projecting portion of a meter, means for locking the closure in closed position, said means including a fastener extending through the closure from the outside into detachable interlocking engagement with the box, a cover for the outer end of said fastener movably mounted on the closure, and means for locking the cover in position to cover the outer end of the fastener.

ERNEST G. J OHANSSON. 

